Draft R4 #111: Rangers select C Noah Laba (Lincoln Stars, USHL)

[Thirty One]

Yes and then he was an offensive defenseman in the OHL. The Dan Girardi we know happened in the NHL. If you have to be a high-motor defensive guy at lower levels, you're not any good.

Girardi's career high in point in the OHL was 47. 31 in the NHL. Not really a re-invention. And of course you understand the difference between production in your draft year as opposed to two years out.

Which of the first three picks are you referring to? It kinda seems like you woke up this morning itching to make this point and are trying to fit it on players it really doesn't.

 

[Barnaby]

I am not wowed, but considering it’s the 4th round in a weak draft...

Take a swing and hope for an NHL player...

 

[TheBPA]

Tanner Jeannot who went undrafted??

Kind of illustrates my point.

He was undrafted and scored 24 goals as a rookie in the NHL therefore it justifies him being undrafted?

 

[Machinehead]

Girardi's career high in point in the OHL was 47. 31 in the NHL. Not really a re-invention. And of course you understand the difference between production in your draft year as opposed to two years out.

Which of the first three picks are you referring to? It kinda seems like you woke up this morning itching to make this point and are trying to fit it on players it really doesn't.

All of them tbh.

None of the three have good D-year totals.

For Sykora, it's harder to judge Euro men's leagues as opposed to playing other kids but his scouting report basically says he needs to somehow pull offense out of his ass as he develops.

The Rangers just always seem to go nowhere with these safe "he'll at least be a bottom sixer" hustle picks and every year it's "but this time you're wrong!"

Meanwhile, I was the only one not freaking out over the Othmann pick this time last year because he puts up Space Jam numbers at every level. Does anybody else remember how that pick got panned in the GDT? I remember.

He was undrafted and scored 24 goals as a rookie in the NHL therefore it justifies him being undrafted?

Yes.

Sometimes guys go undrafted because they're small and NHL GM's are dumb. Martin St. Louis says hi.

Tanner Jeannot went undrafted because he was terrible when he declared for the draft.

 

[TheBPA]

All of them tbh.

None of the three have good D-year totals.

For Sykora, it's harder to judge Euro men's leagues as opposed to playing other kids but his scouting report basically says he needs to somehow pull offense out of his ass as he develops.

The Rangers just always seem to go nowhere with these safe "he'll at least be a bottom sixer" hustle picks and every year it's "but this time you're wrong!"

Meanwhile, I was the only one not freaking out over the Othmann pick this time last year because he puts up Space Jam numbers at every level. Does anybody else remember how that pick got panned in the GDT? I remember.


Yes.

Sometimes guys go undrafted because they're small and NHL GM's are dumb. Martin St. Louis says hi.

Tanner Jeannot went undrafted because he was terrible when he declared for the draft.

It's so weird to make this point based on Sykora who is maybe the youngest player in the draft and just put up 17 points in a men's league (and 3 points in 6 games at the world championships) and based on a late 3rd and 4th round pick that you already admitted you know nothing about but have deemed unlikely to succeed.

Also creating a false equivalency between late round picks "going nowhere" vs. you maybe being right about a 1st round pick. I mean, congrats?

None of these things prove your point.

For every Barclay Goodrow that you cherry pick and say he was a high scorer in juniors therefore of course he will be a good bottom sixer in the NHL, there are dozens of high scorers who go on to be AHL/ECHL/nothing players.

Your opinion seems to be that in late rounds, just take guys with high point totals. Fine. That's not an unreasonable philosophy. But I don't see the evidence that it is more successful than other philosophies just because Brennan Othmann scores a lot.

 

[Machinehead]

It's so weird to make this point based on Sykora who is maybe the youngest player in the draft and just put up 17 points in a men's league (and 3 points in 6 games at the world championships) and based on a late 3rd and 4th round pick that you already admitted you know nothing about but have deemed unlikely to succeed.

Also creating a false equivalency between late round picks "going nowhere" vs. you maybe being right about a 1st round pick. I mean, congrats?

None of these things prove your point.

For every Barclay Goodrow that you cherry pick and say he was a high scorer in juniors therefore of course he will be a good bottom sixer in the NHL, there are dozens of high scorers who go on to be AHL/ECHL/nothing players.

Your opinion seems to be that in late rounds, just take guys with high point totals. Fine. That's not an unreasonable philosophy. But I don't see the evidence that it is more successful than other philosophies just because Brennan Othmann scores a lot.

It's not cherry picked at all. Almost every 4th liner was a very good offensive player at lower levels.

Who exactly are you referring to that wasn't?

Even Jeasper Fast had a u20 season where he had 49 in 37.

 

[Barnaby]

Are people really criticizing a 4th round USHL draft pick that not one soul on this board has seen play or even knew existed before 20 minutes ago?

HF going to HF

 

[cwede]

always bugs me when folks cite EliteProspects as a "source"
what's great about EP is they always link to their actual sources

anyway, of course i believed Steven,
but there are very many links to Laba's commit to Colgate
and much rarer citations of his de-commit and switch to CC - especially outside of Facebook

but i did find this

Colgate 2021-22 - USCHO.com Fan Forum | fanforum.uscho.com

Hopefully we can have a more normal world and hockey continues with fans this year. We return a pretty solid core with more depth than in recent years. I'm fairly optimistic about our incoming frosh, we are still a very young team that gained experience having played Clarkson and Q-Pac a total...

fanforum.uscho.com

"Noah Laba, by far our most highly rated recruit for 2022, has officially de-committed and will be playing for Colorado College for 2022"

 

[Machinehead]

Are people really criticizing a 4th round pick USHL draft pick that not one soul on this board knows anything about?

HF going to HF

Yes.

These threads literally exist to critique the draft picks.

Are you expecting 25 pages of "wow super ok pick that I feel nothing towards"?

 

[Barnaby]

Yes.

These threads literally exist to critique the draft picks.

Are you expecting 25 pages of "wow super ok pick that I feel nothing towards"?

On a pick like this? Yes. It seems like scouting reports don’t even exist on the kid. The Ranger scouts threw a dart at a board. Apparently someone liked the kid.

 

[TheBPA]

It's not cherry picked at all. Almost every 4th liner was a very good offensive player at lower levels.

Who exactly are you referring to that wasn't?

Even Jeasper Fast had a u20 season where he had 49 in 37.

Of course most of the 4th liners in the NHL were high scorers at some point, but that doesn't mean the inverse is true which is what you are arguing - that high scorers necessarily have a better chance of making the NHL as a 4th liner.

The ratio is likely similar - there are more high scorers that make it, just like there are more high scorers that are drafted and bust.

I also enjoy that in his draft year Barclay Goodrow put up 19 points in 63 games in the OHL. You're arguing about nothing.

 

[Machinehead]

Of course most of the 4th liners in the NHL were high scorers at some point, but that doesn't mean the inverse is true which is what you are arguing - that high scorers necessarily have a better chance of making the NHL as a 4th liner.

The ratio is likely similar - there are more high scorers that make it, just like there are more high scorers that are drafted and bust.

That is absolutely true.

On a pick like this? Yes. It seems like scouting reports don’t even exist on the kid. The Ranger scouts threw a dart at a board. Apparently someone liked the kid.

Ok, well you're getting an honest but level-headed critique instead. Sorry.

 

[TheBPA]

That is absolutely true.

Ok, well you're getting an honest but level-headed critique instead. Sorry.

Not sure that's absolutely true when we are talking about high scorers solely picked in the 4th round or later. Those are the only rounds that matter here.

But I guess we'll take your word for it because you post a lot I guess.

 

[Machinehead]

Not sure that's absolutely true when we are talking about high scorers solely picked in the 4th round or later. Those are the only rounds that matter here.

But I guess we'll take your word for it because you post a lot I guess.

Well I don't have a matrix of every 4th liner sitting in front of me but like, Tanner Glass was the best player in his Junior A league and an absolute star in college.

9th round pick.

I'm basically saying water is wet.

 

[TheBPA]

Well I don't have a matrix of every 4th liner sitting in front of me but like, Tanner Glass was the best player in his Junior A league and an absolute star in college.

9th round pick.

I'm basically saying water is wet.

Thanks for another single example from 20 years ago proving nothing.

Let me know what NHL rosters Grachev and Gropp are on.

 

[Thirty One]

It's not cherry picked at all. Almost every 4th liner was a very good offensive player at lower levels.

Who exactly are you referring to that wasn't?

Even Jeasper Fast had a u20 season where he had 49 in 37.

Just looked at the Tampa Bay Lightning to check their draft year production:
Nick Paul: 28 points in 66 games (OHL)
Brandon Hagel: 47 points in 72 games (WHL)
Ross Colton: 66 points in 55 games (USHL)
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare: 1 point in 11 games (France)

Hell, even:
Anthony Cirelli: 36 points in 68 games (OHL)

And some blasts from the past.

Barclay Goodrow: 39 points in 65 games (OHL)
Yanni Gourde: 28 points in 59 games (QMJHL)
Blake Coleman: 16 points in 36 games (USHL)

So, I'm not I would agree that almost every bottom-sixer had production beyond McConnell-Baker's.

 

[Machinehead]

Thanks for another single example from 20 years ago proving nothing.

Let me know what NHL rosters Grachev and Gropp are on.

You keep saying that not every scorer makes it.

I'm saying that almost everyone who makes it was a high scorer.

Those are two different arguments.

 

[Machinehead]

Just looked at the Tampa Bay Lightning to check their draft year production:
Nick Paul: 28 points in 66 games (OHL)
Brandon Hagel: 47 points in 72 games (WHL)
Ross Colton: 66 points in 55 games (USHL)
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare: 1 point in 11 games (France)

Hell, even:
Anthony Cirelli: 36 points in 68 games (OHL)

And some blasts from the past.

Barclay Goodrow: 39 points in 65 games (OHL)
Yanni Gourde: 28 points in 59 games (QMJHL)
Blake Coleman: 16 points in 36 games (USHL)

So, I'm not I would agree that almost every bottom-sixer had production beyond McConnell-Baker's.

I'm more ok with the McConnell-Baker pick than this one. Going by age, Laba's draft year was last year.

I'm actually fine with the McConnell-Baker pick now that I think about it.

This one is pants.

 

[Thirty One]

I'm more ok with the McConnell-Baker pick than this one. Going by age, Laba's draft year was last year.

I'm actually fine with the McConnell-Baker pick now that I think about it.

This one is pants.

Yeah, I'm not enthused about this pick, but I don't think the first two are getting fair treatment.

 

[Machinehead]

Yeah, I'm not enthused about this pick, but I don't think the first two are getting fair treatment.

The only thing with Barker is that they're saying he can't really skate. Drury seems to hate skating. You know what? Fine. Learn how to slow the game down and that's fine. We're already slowish and there's not much we can do.

Sykora just SCREAMS Lias Andersson and Brett Howden to me. The first thing you read from every report is that he runs around like a chicken on coke doing stuff. I'll be very happy to be wrong about that.

 

[TheBPA]

You keep saying that not every scorer makes it.

I'm saying that almost everyone who makes it was a high scorer.

Those are two different arguments.

Because everyone knows who the high scorers are. What high scorers are slipping under the radar?

The hit % rate is probably about the same because there are way more high scorer flameouts. The late round picks that are not high scorers have to bring some characteristic to the table that makes them worth taking other than pure numbers. If the scouts want to take a chance on a lower scoring guy in the 4th 5th 6th rounds because they like certain other traits, I don’t think that is a reason to get upset.

 

[eco's bones]

By the 4th round the forwards with top 6 potential have pretty much petered out. Getting a guy who’s an asshole to play against is not a bad way to go. This idea that everyone has got to be in the top 5 scorers on his team is just wrongheaded. Players bring more than just the points they score. This one aggravates. If I read something right he had 5 shorthanded goals in the USHL this year so he’s a guy willing to do the dirty work that doesn’t always get the headlines but is necessary for a team to be successfu. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

Any idea why we drafted this player?

 

[broadwayblue]

Any idea why we drafted this player?

A fan survey revealed we need centers.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

A fan survey revealed we need centers.

Was he the only center available?